MOSCOW, March 21. /TASS/. Oil sanctions against Venezuela "burned" the US with unintended consequences so it is trying to make a deal with Caracas, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview posted on the website of the Ministry.

"The Americans are now trying to launch a brand new political game around Venezuela, offering it to negotiate the restart of its oil exports to the US in exchange for certain political concessions. It is a fact that they have been a bit 'burned' by the consequences of their own actions," the top Russian diplomat said.

The Americans weaponize oil and oil prices time and again, the minister noted. "There are examples related to Iran, when oil exports were prohibited to it and all the possible channels for supplies against this illegal ban were curbed," Lavrov said. "Venezuela is the latest most striking example," he added.

Venezuela was the third largest supplier of oil to the US in 2019 but the Americans announced an embargo on supplies of its oil in 2022 as part of a power struggle with President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro, Lavrov explained. Then the US saw some unintended consequences, particularly after what OPEC and OPEC+ did in rebalancing the market. Furthermore, many US refineries were slated to process Venezuelan oil.

"Purely economic factors and ones showing a desire to weaponize economic ties, crude oil trading in this case, are intertwined there," Lavrov noted.

Venezuela understands what is going on pretty well, the top Russian diplomat stressed. "Certainly, they listen to the US. Nobody will reject the opportunity to talk with the US if Washington is indeed serious about discussing something," Lavrov noted. "They are involved in this talk, they want to lift the sanctions," he stressed. "Nevertheless, the Venezuelans definitely keep in mind that during the effective period of the embargo, the US just took and auctioned off the US division of Venezuela’s PDVSA. Just like that. [They] actually seized it," the minister added.

"Washington's style is well known," Lavrov stated. "There will be no mutually beneficial approaches. One should be firm in securing his benefit in a dialogue with Washington, without particularly expecting that they will perform their ‘bright-eyed’ commitments," he added.